CBA grad going to camp as undrafted defensive tackle

Published 11:06 pm, Monday, April 29, 2013

Vellano, a defensive tackle at Maryland, said he'll attend the Patriots' rookie minicamp from Thursday through Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

"It's a little nerve-racking just waiting and trying to see where everything kind of panned out," Vellano said. "This is one of the teams I felt I fit pretty good in even before the draft started."

Vellano met with Patriots coach Bill Belichick a month ago on the Maryland campus and they watched film together.

"Just getting a chance to meet with him and sit down with him for a little bit when he came down, he's definitely a very, very smart football coach and he's a winner," Vellano said. "So getting a chance to learn from him and just be in his system, it'll be a great opportunity."

Vellano, who is 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, said he played both tackle and defensive end at Maryland. That versatility may have appealed to the Patriots.

"They have guys who play multiple positions," Vellano said. "It changes from week to week."

Vellano, a two-time first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, had thought he might go from the fifth to the seventh round. There were concerns he was undersized for his position.

After the draft, he and agent Mike George waited for offers from Pittsburgh and Houston that never came.

"We were kind of seeing what was the best fit," Vellano said. "Just the way the draft goes, it's kind of crazy. I don't really know why it took so long. A long couple of days. At least it's over now."